We are excited to feature the Fuller filmmakers involved with Land of Kim: The North Korean Tragedy. This in-production documentary will tell the story of North Korea that no one really knows. They were even able to go into North Korea, the most closed country in the world, with cameras and bring out never before seen footage of what life is like above the 38th parallel.
The production recently launched their funding campaign to raise the rest of the money they need to finish their film. We strongly encourage you to check out what they are doing, and get involved in whatever way you can. Their campaign runs until October 25.
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Rob Bethke
Director/Producer, Land of Kim: The North Korea Tragedy
Producer, Praying The Hours
1) How did you get involved in filmmaking and why?
Filmmaking was not really a passion that I had grown up with since childhood. Rather, I developed a love for film and storytelling merely as a tool for ministry. During college as I was trying to figure out how I wanted to use my life to impact the world for Christ, I examined all of the various forms of communication and determined that film was the most powerful and effective means of sharing information and influencing people.
So I began learning how to use the digital media tools that were then just emerging and reading books on filmmaking. My alma mater didn’t have a program for teaching filmmaking at that time, so I mostly taught myself. I made a couple of short films on digital cameras, and they turned out okay. Then in 2006, I convinced my wife to let us move to California where I could worm my way into the “real” industry and make “real” films. But I learned pretty quickly that I didn’t necessarily want that Hollywood lifestyle and found groups of independent filmmakers who approach the art form in a way that suits me and my values. I’m still learning the art and craft of telling good stories through visual motion and sound. It’s quite complicated, and I often feel like a novice. I enjoy the process, but mostly I am fulfilled by watching others be moved by the work that I’ve helped to create.
2) What project(s) are you particularly excited about now and why?
I’m a producer on Lauralee Farrer’s epic film project, Praying The Hours. That has been a wonderful experience, working with a committed producing team and a generous crew. I’m also directing and producing a feature documentary film about the human rights crisis in North Korea, called Land of Kim. I founded a non-profit film production company called United World Media in order to make Land of Kim as well as future social justice documentaries.
Right now we are in the middle of an Indiegogo fundraising campaign that will fuel our project into the next phase of production by allowing our crew to travel to the east coast and shoot more interview footage of experts working on the North Korea situation. The campaign will last for 38 days (in remembrance of the Korean people who are divided along the 38th parallel line), and our goal is to raise $25,000. With this money we will be able complete more than half of the work needed to finish the film. We are well on our way now to achieving our fundraising goal.
More information about the campaign and the film can be found on our Indiegogo page.
3) How does your faith influence your filmmaking?
Faith is what brought me into filmmaking and the ethics which I received from my Christian upbringing has certainly served as the foundation for my passion: exposing social injustices and motivating others to become more involved in the protection and care of the oppressed and powerless around the world. Some would say that creating a world where humans are more empathetic and united – seeing themselves as part of one human family rather than competing nations and cultures – is part of what Christ called for in bringing about the Kingdom of God. So I hope that the films I create will unite people by sharing stories from around the world that demonstrate our similarities and celebrate our differences while exposing injustices when necessary. These are all values that I believe Jesus embodied and taught – values which will bring about a better world for the generations that come after us.
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From the Land of Kim production team:
This documentary film will outline the history of North Korea from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day, focusing on human rights abuses and solutions toward a one-day peaceful North Korea.
Interviews with experts in the fields of human rights activism, politics, history, Asian studies, foreign affairs and national security will provide clarity and a variety of opinions about the geo-political and humanitarian problems facing the reclusive communist nation. Archival footage, news clips and animation will be used to chronicle the current state of diplomacy between North Korea and the world community.
Our goal is to unite the world community toward the task of finding solutions to the human rights crisis facing the nation of North Korea. Many Americans simply don’t know much about this strange and isolated country. With this film we will give audiences a better understanding of the history, politics, and heartbreaking human struggle of North Korea. We want to spark conversation, provoke thought, and urge society to ask difficult questions about the global neighborhood.
You can connect with Land of Kim and its production team via:
The Land of Kim Website
Their Indigogo Campaign
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